Sizzling Silas

McKeen's Director of Scouting David Burstyn looks at several OHL defensemen slated to go high in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Stephen Silas, Austin Levi, Geoffrey Schemitsch, Cameron Wind and Marshall Fox are all featured.

Stephen Silas (2010), D, Belleville

Silas has really picked up the offensive component to his game, as he is second in team scoring following a 30-point improvement from his rookie season .. Silas has been in on a quarter of his team's goals, as only Brampton and Sarnia have fewer goals scored than Belleville .. makes crisp, accurate passes out of the zone .. displays decent fluidity, as he can keep up with most skaters in the league .. his skating has marked improvement in terms of agility throughout the year .. not sensational in any one aspect, Silas plays a complete game that is error free, despite his whopping plus/minus totals (minus-25) .. has strong mental preparation and is able to focus on the task at hand and also displays good problem solving skills .. will not hurt you but does not bring a blinding skill set to the table either .. should participate in the U18 in Minsk come April.

Austin Levi (2010), D, Plymouth

Levi has slowly improved all facets of his game throughout the course of the year displaying maturity and poise with or without the puck .. positionally, he is able to hold his ground due to his skating ability and quickness .. he is incredibly agile for a player of his size and his wingspan coupled with his skating stride really helps him to play better defence .. still prone to mental errors but understands how to use his stick better in defensive situations .. boasts a great shot when he can get it off .. still needs time to harness his true athleticism and skill set .. factors in as a projection pick and he has improved his stock by engaging in four fighting majors this season.

Geoffrey Schemitsch (2010), D, Owen Sound

Schemitsch and Blacker log huge minutes on an Owen Sound backend that lacks depth and skill .. an injury to first rounder Curtis Crombeen has not helped matters either, as coach Reeds is forced into playing his two top defensemen in all likelihood more than he wants .. still learning on the job, Schemitsch started the season on a hot streak (12 points in October) but has since cooled down .. a capable puckhandler but not a great one .. his decisions with the puck are still unpredictable .. at times, he can execute a good pass and other times he simply does not see his options .. he has good feet and can pivot well to defend but is far too casual when playing the body .. he is not aggressive at all and as a result, he is often beaten down low alongside the boards .. what is more discouraging is that he does not seem to care whether he gets beaten or not .. has been a bright spot on a team that was desperate to fill a void on the backend .. NHL scouts may look at the fact that he came from Midget hockey and posted over 40 points as a rookie defenseman on a non-playoff team and rank him higher, but the reality is he simply does not do enough to be warranted a high selection.

Cameron Wind (2010), D, Brampton

Not to be confused with an offensive-minded defender, Wind has not scored in over 50 games .. Wind is not overly confident with the puck and does not have the best hockey sense either .. when he is forced to think or multi-task, he coughs up the puck too often .. his inability to contain his man or exhibit any type of toughness is also unsettling to him as a prospect .. his skating, quickness and lateral agility are better than average but he can not marry them with hand skills to take advantage of his speed .. Wind may be a late draft pick but he has many holes in his game.

Marshall Fox (2010), D, Sault Ste. Marie

Fox has seen more icetime in recent contests as coach Lambert is trusting him in more situations .. he is still on the third pairing but considering the depth on the Greyhounds backend, he can only improve, as he is able to learn on the job and from experienced blueliners including team captain Jake Muzzin .. at 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds, he has plenty of room to fill out his frame .. currently, he is all legs and very slender up top .. he has decent feet and angles off forwards well .. not comfortable with the puck but he makes the simple play with it .. is not afraid to ice the puck, as he understands that is the best play for him .. at this point, the game moves a tad fast for him but he is a work in progress.